Mocking blade
by ForPony39
Summary: Henry follows a stranger he thinks might be Hook and gets into a bit of a situation. How Hook met Henry. Oneshot!


**A quick little one shot that would NOT leave me alone until I wrote it, this is kinda how I'd like Hook to meet Henry and I really don't know why, haha. I think I just like the idea of Henry managing to earn Hooks respect :) Once again, thanks to my friend Emily for her help!**

...

Henry figured early on that this wasn't the greatest idea he'd ever had, but he just didn't see how anyone else was going to be able to do it. He knew everyone had been looking for Captain Hook - _the_ Captain Hook in Storybrooke? A little part of him couldn't help but think that was really cool. Apparently when Hook wanted, he could be a hard man to find. No one would tell him all the details, they never did cause they all thought he was to young - but he had his ways of finding things out. He knew Emma needed to talk to Hook, and he always wanted to help Emma. He saw the stranger he suspected was Hook while he was getting off the bus after school. Granted if it was him, It would be first time he'd ever seen him. The man had both hands in the pockets of a long black trench coat, wearing a hat with a big rim to hide half his face under. Henry saw the glint at his wrist that must have been his hook. In retrospect it could have been anyone, but that silver glint had pretty much hopelessly snagged Henry's curiosity - was that Hook?

_Follow him_ his mind seemed to say

"Emma will kill me" he muttered back to his brain, watching the stranger continue on his way.

_Never going to get a chance like this again_ his mind countered as the man he suspected to be the captain approached a turn that would eliminate him from sight.

_This is the first anyone has seen of hook - you can't let him get away now!_

"Not even sure it is him" Henry said to himself reasonably, but...

_It could be_

As the man was just about to turn the corner and the chance lost to discover who he was Henry gave in and did his best to hurry after the man without being noticed.

The man walked always with his left hand in his pocket, confidently at a rather relaxed pace. Henry darted from corner to corner, ducking behind things to remain unseen, peeking out from his hiding spots to watch him as he walked along for a ways before deciding to continue to another spot.

Henry's brow furrowed as he saw the man's shoulders shaking ever so slightly, as if he were chuckling to himself - what was he laughing at?

Henry didn't get time to wonder as Hook took an unexpected turn down an alley that shielded him from view.

"Crap" Henry muttered under his breath - breaking cover and running to catch up.

He leaned against the wall and peeked down the alley. Which was empty.

"What?" Henry whispered to himself, slowly coming out from behind the wall. Where did he go? Henry began walking slowly down the street the man had disappeared into - looking around to catch any sign of the man who he suspected to be Hook.

That's when he noticed it.

Too his left a few feet away, an old store that had 'vacancy' in big black letters on a window, covered in paper so as to obscure the inside. It sat nestled rather cosily into the very corner of the where the alley ended and the street that was the edge of Storybrooke began.

Henry turned to face the building, it's door was open, swung wide to the inside where it was too dark to make anything out

The door was just open.

Right.

Henry was ten, he wasn't an idiot and he was _not_ going in there.

He'd go tell Emma about this - she'd know what to do, and she would be so impressed by what he'd done, maybe she'd stop treating him like he couldn't handle things - he'd known about the curse before anyone else after all.

Henry was just going to turn to go when he felt a hand grab the scruff of his shirt from behind and lift him off his feet.

Henry cried out in surprise as he was carried the last few feet forward through the doorway and dropped rather unceremoniously with a slight push that sent him stumbling forward into the building.

Henry turned just in time to see the stranger closing the door behind him.

"Your tailing technique leaves something to be desired lad" the stranger said, removing his hat and dropping it on a bench by the door, flicking the switch so a small light bulb flickered on.

The man leaned back against the door and crossed his arms, finally fully revealing the hook that was where his hand should have been (he knew it! It was him!) staring at Henry with an amused smirk. Henry's eyes shot around the room looking for another way out. It was empty but for the sparse bits of furniture, an old rug and some long forgotten tools lying carelessly on the dirty concrete floor - but no other way out.

The only way out was the door he'd been pushed through.

Which was currently blocked by the tall frame of Captain Hook who was examining him carefully from his spot - making no move to come any closer to him.

"Care to tell me why you're following me?" Hook asked

Oh Henry was in trouble - he was in very, very big trouble. In a room alone with Captain Hook, this had been a bad idea, admittedly not his worst but it was still up there.

"I wasn't following you" Henry tried, playing dumb, eyes going from Hook to scouting the room for something to defend himself with.

"Sure you weren't" Hook said rolling his eyes, severely unconvinced.

Ok, so he hadn't expected Hook to buy that really, but it was worth a try. Henry saw a crow bar not far from him and lunged for it, grasping it by its claw before brandishing it at Hook like it was a sword, falling into the stance David had taught him during their sword fighting lessons.

"Let me out" Henry demanded, motioning with the crowbar slightly to indicate Hook move out of his way.

Hook looked from the crowbar he was holding out threateningly to him and his stance with a raised eyebrow. He was utterly silent and unmoving as he stared at Henry for a moment. Then he smiled, _interesting_ he seemed to say to himself without speaking at all.

Henry opened his mouth to demand he move again but Hook cut him off.

"Sure you want to do that lad?" he asked

Henry's heart beat rapidly in his chest, doing his best not to show he was close to shaking as a small voice in his head kept saying _what am I doing? What am I doing? WhatamIdoing?_

Henry pressed his lip into a tight line and drew himself up to his full height, staring defiantly at Hook.

Hook smiled "Alright, if you insist" he said grabbing a broom that was leaning against the wall, flipping it one handed so the handle was now brandished like a sword.

Before Henry could even decide how to react Hook moved like the strike of a snake and hit the crowbar, very nearly tearing it out of Henry's hands.

Nearly.

Henry managed to hang on and stumbled back while Hook grinned at him.

"Still sure?" Hook asked, tilting his head mockingly as if to better hear his answer.

Henry narrowed his eyes, suddenly angry that Hook was inwardly laughing at him. Henry lunged like Charming had taught him, aiming for his middle which Hook blocked with a casual sweep of his mock blade.

Hook tried to bring the handle down on Henry's wrist with the intention of forcing him to drop the weapon, but Henry recoiled his arm instinctively with a gasp - stepping back when Hook attempted to bring the broom handle down on him once more. Henry thrust the crowbar up above his head to block the attack. The lack of force behind the blow caught Henry off guard - though there was enough there to give him a good knock on the head had Hook been allowed to follow through.

Hook almost mirrored Henry's look of surprise before laughing. "Well met" Hook quipped. Henry responded by shoving the bar up, trying to send Hook reeling back to give him some space. Hook however was unmoved "I'm afraid I have a bit more in terms of brawn lad" he said punctuating the words by pushing back harder, causing Henry to stumble back yet again.

"If you can, compensate with speed" Hook advised, almost good naturedly.

He swung rather playfully at Henry's side to hit his elbow, Henry brought the crowbar down and swatted it away, immediately Hook tried to swing a little higher on Henry, at his shoulder on the opposite side. Henry pulled his crowbar back across his body to meet the broom handle, a move David had showed him and that he'd been practising - he even tried to angle around in a way that would move him closer to the door but Hook stamped the attempt out by forcing Henry to move to defend his middle with a quick jab of the broom handle.

"Well, well, well" Hook said "I see someone's been teaching you sword play boy"

He nodded approvingly.

Then he came at Henry like lighting, lunging and swinging the wooden broom handle so fast it boggled the mind.

Henry was very barely managing to block each hit, forced to take a step back with every strike.

And then like it was nothing at all, Hook slid the broom handle down the crowbar before using his hook to wrench it from Henry's grasp, sending it across the room.

Henry eye's grew to the size of saucers and let out a yelp as Hook jabbed him with the end of the broom to knock him backwards into a chair he hadn't known was behind him.

"Unfortunately son when it comes to swords, I don't play" Hook told him smugly, "lucky for you we weren't using blades today"

Henry glanced to the door, he could get up and run for the door now, Henry was fast he'd make it. Hook seemed to sense this thought and used the end of the broom to pin him in the chair.

"Sit" Hook ordered coolly "You've lost."

Henry glared back at Hook, who was using the reason for his colourful moniker to snag another near by chair and pull it close. He flipped it around so the back was facing Henry before straddling it to face him.

He slowly lowered the broom handle from its cautionary point on Henry's chest, but not so much so that he couldn't use it to block an escape attempt. "You're foolish lad, but brave" Hook said, smiling it seemed in earnest now.

"It's hard not to respect the spirit of someone who is willing to fight a more skilled opponent for what he wants"

Henry wasn't entirely certain what to say to the complement since it came from Captain Hook who currently wasn't letting him leave. Strangely it still somehow meant a lot to him - being complimented by Captain Hook.

So he did what he did whenever his other mom caught him doing something he knew he wasn't suppose to be doing - he stayed silent.

"Now where were we?" Hook asked, he didn't wait for Henry to answer him instead choosing to answer himself.

"Ah yes, I believe you were about to explain why you were following me"

Hook looked at Henry expectantly.

Henry sat in the chair and remained obstinately silent.

"I've got all day son"

"So have I" Henry retorted, "People will look for me"

"How many will look here?" Hook asked

Henry tried not to swallow too loudly

"That's what I thought" Hook said nodding to himself.

"You should really be more careful, bad things tend to happen to those who seek trouble"

Henry must have looked as uncomfortable as he felt because Hook added "That wasn't a threat so much as an observation boy, relax"

Henry tried to not visibly show his relief. The captain propped his head up on his Hook and sighed.

"Really no point in holding your silence now lad"

"My name is not lad" Henry answered coolly

"Well why don't you tell me what your name is then" Hook replied reasonably

"… Henry"

Hook's eyes widened in surprise. "Henry" he repeated back. He threw his head back and laughed. Henry stared at him as he continued to laugh, thoroughly confused.

"A good name" he said, laughter subsiding "You know who I am then?" he asked, though he already knew the answer

Henry looked pointedly at his Hook

"Bit of a give away in Storybrooke" Henry said

"I do so love how far my reputation proceeds me" Hook sighed happily

"But may _name_ is Killian Jones" Hook said politely, dropping the broom and holding out his hand.

Henry stared at him for a second, looking from his hand to his face to see if this was some kind of trick. He saw amusement and something else he didn't quite understand. Hook continued to hold his hand out showing no sign of withdrawing it.

Henry couldn't see the harm, so slowly he reached out and took his hand and shook it firmly. Hook smiled "ah, a firm handshake - I like that" he said dropping his hand after a moment.

"Killian Jones…" Henry repeated much like Hook had done for his name and tried to think of something to say about it, mulling the name about in his head.

"… Pretty much had to be a pirate with a name like that didn't you" Henry said innocently. Hook chuckled

"You're Emma Swan's son through and through Henry"

Henry felt his jaw drop "Wait, how did you know that?"

"Following me to help your mom out huh?" Hook guessed correctly, ignoring Henry's question.

"Well I suppose that's better than you following me for Gold"

Henry was even more confused.

"Mr. Gold's looking for you?"

At this the smirk that Hook wore grew a bit darker "Indeed he is" he said, scooping up the broom as he stood.

"Congratulations Henry" he continued more lightly, walking to the door, dropping the broom against the wall and retrieving his hat from the bench he'd dropped it on. "Not many can say they fought Captain Hook and lived to tell the tale" he said with a wink, placing the hat on his head.

"Tell your mother I said hello" he said over his shoulder, opening the door and leaving.

Henry sat for a few more seconds in the chair blinking before putting his head in his hands and sighing.

"My life is so weird"


End file.
